Caring for the Alcoholic in Your Life

Have you been caring for someone who is an alcoholic? Take a break from the problem drinker in your life. Could you separate yourself for just a day from the chaos that surrounds the dysfunctional behavior of another? This disease creeps up on us so subtly that we don’t even realize that it is controlling our thoughts and our lives.

If you are anything like me from the moment you get up until you go to sleep, you are concerned about what the alcoholic in your life is doing. Sadly, the behavior of another begins to take over our lives and we no longer have one of our own.

We can break this pattern by taking care of ourselves. God gave us the command to: “love your neighbor as yourself.” This means that we are to “love ourselves.” When we love someone we spend time with them. When they are sick we look after the things they are doing and make sure that they get well. You are sick. Because the disease of alcoholism doesn’t just affect the alcoholic it actually causes us to become ill with obsession.

Take a break today from caring for the alcoholic in your life. Perhaps it’s not that easy for you because of your family responsibilities. If you want to start feeling better about life, then I suggest you plan a day where you can do what you like to do and totally let go of the problem drinker in your life. Try making plans with a good friend to just go away for the day and have some fun.

When You Take a Day Off
I want you to notice two things: 1) How often do you think about the alcoholic while you are trying to have fun yourself. 2) How much do you talk about what is happening to you because of someone’s drinking problem.

If you cannot spend seven days of your life not obsessing over the alcohol drinker in your life or stop talking about what they are doing, you are sick. Our illness is obsessing over the alcoholic and trying to control their behavior.

I would highly suggest that you get to an Al-anon meeting and learn how to let go of the situation. What you have been doing up until this point is not working. By attending support-group-meetings you will be able to learn how to stop caring for the alcoholic in your life. This may sound mean, but honestly, it’s the best thing that can happen for the both of you. Get a life and let them live their life. You don’t need to get divorced or even move pout of the house. Just find a support group meeting where others suffering in similar situations can teach you how to cope with an alcoholic by taking care of yourself.

You really can start caring for yourself and doing less for the alcoholic in your life. This may help them to get better because they you will not be rescuing them all the time. They will be able to suffer a little from the consequences of their actions. Who knows, they may ask for help when the pain of how they are living gets overwhelming.